God's Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ
God's Plan of Salvation through Jesus Christ
God's plan of salvation is rooted in His purpose to save humanity through Jesus Christ. The apostle Paul writes that "God's purpose for us is not wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" [1]. This plan is a central theme in the New Testament, with various authors emphasizing different aspects of it.
The salvation plan is based on God's grace, not human merit. Paul explains that believers are "justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" [2]. This grace is available to all people, regardless of their background or circumstances. The early Christian church recognized that salvation comes "through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ" [3], and this understanding united Jews and Gentiles in their faith.
The plan involves the regeneration of believers through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Peter writes that God "according to His great mercy having regenerated us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" [4]. This regeneration is a fundamental aspect of the salvation experience, transforming believers and giving them a new identity in Christ.
The biblical account emphasizes that salvation is a work of God, from start to finish. Torrey's Topical Textbook notes that salvation "Is of God... Is of the purpose of God... Is by Christ... Is by Christ alone" [5]. The plan is not limited to a specific group but is universal, with God desiring the salvation of all people.
In Ephesians, Paul elaborates on the nature of salvation, explaining that believers are "made alive together with Christ" and "raised up together with him" [6, 9]. This union with Christ is a key aspect of the salvation experience, enabling believers to live a new life. The transformation involves putting off the "old sinful nature" and putting on "the new nature" [8].
The plan of salvation is not just a past event but has ongoing implications for believers. Paul writes that God "has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us" [7]. This new creation is a work of God's Spirit, who produces a life characterized by good works.
The various Christian traditions represented in the sources agree on the centrality of God's grace and the role of Jesus Christ in salvation. Adam Clarke notes that salvation comes "through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ," a view shared across different denominational perspectives [11]. John Gill emphasizes that the whole scheme of salvation is according to God's eternal purpose [12].
The biblical account of God's plan of salvation through Jesus Christ is multifaceted, emphasizing both the divine initiative and the transformative impact on believers. As the apostle Paul reflects, believers give thanks "unto God and the Father... in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" [10], highlighting the relational and redemptive aspects of God's plan.
Sources
- I Thessalonians “I Thessalonians 5:9 (BBE) — For God's purpose for us is not wrath, but salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,”
- Romans “being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus; -- Romans 3:24”
- Acts “Acts 15:11 (KJV) — But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”
- I Peter “I Peter 1:3 (LITV) — Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He according to His great mercy having regenerated us to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,”
- Torrey's Topical Textbook “Torrey's Topical Textbook: Salvation — Is of God -- Ps 3:8; 37:39; Jer 3:23. Is of the purpose of God -- 2Ti 1:9. Is of the appointment of God -- 1Th 5:9. God is willing to give -- 1Ti 2:4. Is by Christ -- Isa 63:9; Eph 5:23. Is by Christ alone -- Isa 45:21,22; 59:16; Ac 4:12. Announced after the fall -- Ge 3:15. Of Israel, predicted -- Isa 35:4; 45:17; Zec 9:16; Ro 11:26. Of the Gentiles, predicted -- Isa 45:22; 49:6; 52:10. Revealed in the gospel -- Eph 1:13; 2Ti 1:10. Came to the Gentiles through the fall of the Jews -- Ro 11:11. Christ The Captain of. -- Heb 2:10. The Author of. -- Heb 5:9”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:5: 2:5 gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead (literally made us alive together with Christ): Joined with Christ, believers share in his resurrection, now and in the future (see 2:6; Rom 6:4-14; Col 3:1-4). • It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved: See Eph 1:2; 2:8-9.”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:10: 2:10 He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us: Good works are the result, not the cause, of salvation. God’s Spirit, working through a transformed heart, produces a good life (Gal 5:22-23).”
- Colossians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Colossians 3:9: 3:9-10 your old sinful nature . . . your new nature: Paul contrasts old and new identities (see also Rom 5:12-21; 6:6; Eph 4:22-24). Believers strip off their old life and put on Christ’s new life, allowing him to be Lord and to guide the way they live.”
- Ephesians (Protestant academic) “Tyndale House on Ephesians 2:6: 2:6 united with Christ Jesus: Because of this union, believers share God’s glory and blessings, and experience resurrection both now and in the future (see Rom 6:4-14; Col 2:12-13; 3:1-4).”
- Ephesians (Presbyterian) “Jamieson, Fausset & Brown on Ephesians 5:20: thanks . . . for all things--even for adversities; also for blessings, unknown as well as known (Col 3:17; Th1 5:18). unto God and the Father--the Fountain of every blessing in Creation, Providence, Election, and Redemption. Lord Jesus Christ--by whom all things, even distresses, become ours (Rom 8:35, Rom 8:37; Co1 3:20-23).”
- Acts (Methodist/Wesleyan) “Adam Clarke on Acts 15:11: Through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved - This seems to be an answer to an objection, "Has not God designed to save us, the Jews, by an observance of the law; and them, the Gentiles, by the faith of the Gospel?" No: for we Jews can be saved no other way than through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ; and this is the way in which the Gentiles in question have been saved. There is but one way of salvation for Jews and Gentiles, the grace, mercy, or favor coming by and through the Lord Jesus, the Christ; this is now fully opened to the Gentiles; an”
- Ephesians (Baptist/Reformed) “John Gill on Ephesians 3:11: According to the eternal purpose,.... The whole of salvation, in which is displayed the great wisdom of God, is according to a purpose of his; the scheme of it is fixed in the council of peace; the thing itself is effected in pursuance of it; Christ, the Redeemer, was set forth in it; his incarnation, the time of his coming into the world, his sufferings and death, with all their circumstances, were decreed by God; and the persons for whom Christ became incarnate, suffered, and died, were appointed unto salvation by him; and the application of it to them is accordi”